A chaotic situation, often one that involves several people, each with a different agenda/vision/perception of what's going on; a situation that is very difficult, despite energy and efforts, to instill any sense or order into

"Management's nuts. By the time each of them has his say and policy gets to us, it's a goat rodeo."

A Goat Rodeo AKA Goat Rope, is about the most polite term used by aviation people (and others in higher risk situations) to describe a scenario that requires about 100 things to go right at once if you intend to walk away from it.

A situation that is hopelessly fucked up. The worst of three stages of goat-ness. First is the Goat Rope, defined else where.

Then there is the utilitraian Goat Fuck. This normally requires a serious amount of work to unfuck.

Lastly, there is the Goat Rodeo. The worst of the three, it is beyond even profanity. It describes a situation that involves many individuals screw ups, and implies that the fuck up is already well underway, meaning that there is no hope in stopping the mess. Usually said with a defeated tone:

A situation that has all the risks and none of the rewards. In a real rodeo, cowboys risk their necks, but they get to look cool. If the cowboys rode goats, they'd have just as much risk of injury, and wouldn't look cool. Such a situation has two possible outcomes: really bad or slightly less bad. Having forseen such a situation, you're best bet is to not enter the Rodeo.

"We decided not to submit our wine in the "Two-buck-chuck Taste-off" because we didn't want to get into a Goat Rodeo."

A sales or bidding process where the natural tendency for multiple people to "pile on," express their opinions, and interject creates inherent instability and increases the probability of overreaction and/or loss.

"The Financial System bidding process has become a Goat Rodeo...with 10 Partners all trying to ride the goat."

The desire to organize a procession or event that involves a large group of people coming together to socialize, but it becomes extremely discombobulated and chaotic due to differing personalities and ideas.

Being with our friends and their kids on vacation was like one big goat rodeo!